Aston Villa FC
West Ham United FC
West Ham United FC
Aston Villa aiming to continue winning form against formidable West Ham side
Aston Villa to win 2-1
Just as Aston Villa’s winning run appears to be starting, West Ham’s may well have ended with a bump.
Villa beat Southampton at the weekend to claim their second win from five league games, though have struggled a little of late with three wins coming since the turn of the year.
Now that they appear to have fully recovered from the Covid-19 outbreak at their training camp, they have the opportunity to press their case for European football once again.
West Ham saw their four-game winning streak come to an end by losing against a revived Liverpool side who climbed above them in the table.
It was The Hammers who secured three points the last time these teams met back in November, though Villa appear a side with a hungry glint in their eye, and without Champions League football next season still a possibility for both these sides, it should be an interesting game.
Form Guide (all comps): LLWLW
Reasons to be cheerful:
Can move level with West Ham with a win
Collected seven points from last nine in home games
Reasons to be fearful:
West Ham will be determined to bounce back from defeat
Tough run of fixtures coming up
Momentum is a huge word in football, with the team on a winning run often having an advantage over others purely by having that winning mentality to take from one game to the next.
Villa could be at the start of a winning run after a narrow win over mid-table neighbours Southampton, though will be under no illusions that their issues are behind them, with three defeats coming from their last five league games.
Despite that mixed record, their performances have been good of late, with their goal difference remaining one of the best in the league. Jack Grealish remains one of the best in the league, while Ollie Watkins has ended his drought in front of goal.
The rest of their season could be shaped by a strong win here.
Star Man – Ollie Watkins
Ended a nine-game run without a league goal, with two goals in his last three games.
Form Guide (all comps): WWWWL
Reasons to be cheerful:
Winning run was only ended by the Champions
New loan signing Jesse Lingard could play a role
Reasons to be fearful:
Antonio will need to be assessed after returning from injury recently
Villa’s attack with cause them problems
The Hammers will be disappointed after their winning streak was ended by Liverpool at the weekend and, although West Ham were competitive for much of the game, they were no match for the power and quality of Liverpool’s players.
David Moyes will be looking for his side to quickly bounce back here, but know that this will be a tough game, despite beating Villa in the reverse fixture back in November.
Their incentive is, of course, their league position. They can keep pace with the top four with victory here, and should they win they will have their greatest points total at this stage of a season since 1985-86.
New loan signing Jesse Lingard from Manchester United could well make his first appearance here, with the attacker’s pace and agility something add to the team.
Star Man – Jarrod Bowen
Is one of West Ham’s most consistent performers going forward this season.
An evenly-contested match
Both sides to score
Villa’s forwards just have the edge
We’ve seen teams moving ahead of one another all season, with a good run of form quickly followed by a bad one.
West Ham won’t become a poor team just because they lost to Liverpool, but Villa may feel as though they have the advantage, particularly in forward areas with the likes of Grealish and Watkins in good form.
Aston Villa to win 2-1
